Ignoring critics, Chertoff stands firm on border fence

Published 6:30 am, Thursday, February 28, 2008

WASHINGTON — Bristling at attacks from Texans opposed to building a fence along the Texas-Mexico border, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday that he will not be intimidated into abandoning the federal government's plans by harsh words or lawsuits.

"I'm willing to have a fair and constructive discussion, but I'm not willing to have an endless discussion," Chertoff told reporters at a breakfast meeting. "Insulting me or attacking me does not cause me to go, 'ooh, I've been insulted and attacked, I'm going to stop doing what I'm doing.' "

The Homeland Security Department has been on the receiving end of a barrage of criticism from Texas landowners, municipalities, local politicians from both parties and, most recently, from Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Critics say the department has failed to consult adequately with Texans before building the fence that was mandated by Congress.

Chertoff flatly rejected the criticisms, citing as an example of communication an agreement with officials in McAllen involving levee work along the Rio Grande.

"We've been very willing to consult," he said. "And I sympathize with the fact that people don't want this in their backyard, but ... should the landowner's personal preference, no matter how much I understand and sympathize, should that trump everybody else's security interests?"

Chertoff's ringing defense of the fence was met with jeers by critics along the border.

"He doesn't get it, and he has no inclination to get it," said Chad Foster, a real estate agent and mayor of Eagle Pass. "They're going to put up some fence, and it's going to be in Eagle Pass just to make an example of the mouthy mayor of Eagle Pass."

Mayors along the Texas border have proposed increasing counter-measures already in operation, including cameras, land sensors and unmanned surveillance aircraft, in addition to boosting the number of border patrol agents.

"In the 21st century, we should be able to secure the border with technology rather than physical barriers,"Foster said.

Instead of consultation, Foster said the city was hit with a lawsuit to allow federal surveyors to enter and survey 233 acres of city land for a fence. Foster said Chertoff has not given serious consideration to alternatives to a border barrier.

"As we speak today, there are stakes in the ground and the flags say, 'border fence,' " said Foster. "Now where is the consultation? We are just waiting for someone to come and build the wall."

Such talk does not move Chertoff.

"When what I hear is attacks or lawsuits, that's not going to push us, because, see, that's why we had the problem we had for 30 years," he said. "The reason that my predecessors were not able get control of the border was not that they were feckless or not faithful public servants. They wanted to do the job, but they ran into unbelievable resistance, and they were worn down (by) lawsuits, political pressure."

The Bush administration official said he's simply complying with the will of Congress.

"Maybe I'm — maybe this was a dream," he said. "I thought I remembered last year a huge outcry demanding we build a fence all across the southern border. Was that an imaginary thing? I thought there was a huge public demand for this. And then I thought I heard myself getting roundly criticized because I didn't want to build double fence from sea to shining sea, and I was viewed as squishy and soft on this ...

"So we really looked at every single mile of the border, and we came up with what seemed to be the right mix."

After weeks of escalating rhetoric and legal action, some of the landowners say they're ready for some calm discussion.

''Its ridiculous, its non-productive and a waste of energy on both sides," said Noel Benavides, a Roma City Council member whose wife's family has owned a large tract of land on the Rio Grande for hundreds of years."If they had communication with the people involved, they would have gotten this settled a long time ago. But they never came out and said what they wanted."

Benavides says that landowners are unlikely to win a showdown with the feds.

"The secretary might say he won't back down," said Benavides. "Well, fine, more power to him. He's got the law on his side, Homeland Security can do whatever they want to. But we have a right to ask what's going on ... something is not right, and it's been that way since day one."